Nadda blames states for shortage of doctors

Rachna Khaira

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, May 31

Union Health Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda today blamed the states for the shortage of doctors, especially in rural areas.

Nadda said, “As health is a state subject, the governments have raised massive infrastructure for the sake of vote-bank politics. This has escalated the demand for doctors in their areas and created a big shortfall,” said Nadda.

Addressing a gathering of medical professionals here at an event to commemorate two years of the Modi government, Nadda said the states should first set up a facility and stabilise it properly before going ahead to create another one nearby. “Instead of building medical facilities under political pressure, the states should raise infrastructure according to the needs of the area. They should follow the ‘right facility at the right place’ policy,” said Nadda.

He said there was an irrational distribution of medical professionals in the country. “No one likes to serve in rural areas. Due to this, while an OPD with a footfall of over 20 people a day in a city has four doctors, another OPD with a footfall of 400 patients in a rural area has only one doctor. There is a dire need to streamline the placement of medical professionals in the urban and rural areas,” said Nadda.

Accompanied by Union Minister of Labour and Employment Bandaru Dattatreya and Punjab BJP chief Vijay Sampla, Nadda said the Health Ministry was contemplating promoting telemedicine in the country to curb the shortage of doctors.

Doctors highlight security concerns

Citing a recent incident where a doctor was attacked by a mob outside her house after one of her patients lost a newborn, the Indian Medical Association’s Jalandhar unit expressed concern over the security of doctors in the state.

Accusing the police of harassment, the association told Nadda that an FIR was registered even before the formation of a medical board. They urged Nadda to take up the matter with the state government and bring the erring cops to book. However, the minister expressed helplessness over the issue, saying that since it was a state subject, he could not intervene.